In order to transport a watercraft from one body of water to another, or between a body of water and a storage location, trailers that can be hitched to a motorized wheeled vehicle are often used. Typically, the trailer is backed down a ramp (either man-made or natural) at least partially into the water. The watercraft is then driven onto the trailer such that the watercraft sits on support structures of the trailer. In most such trailers, the watercraft is guided and aligned onto the trailer by the support structures which are adapted to engage the hull of the watercraft. These structures can consist of one or more beams or rollers. The watercraft is then secured to the trailer as described in greater detail below. Finally, the trailer and watercraft are pulled out of the water using the motorized vehicle.
A winch system located at the front of the trailer is typically used to secure the watercraft to the trailer. The winch system usually consists of a winch having a cable and a hook attached to the end of the cable. When the watercraft is at least partially engaged onto the trailer, a hook is attached to an eyelet on the hull of the watercraft. The winch is then actuated so as to pull the watercraft completely on the trailer.
To release the watercraft from the trailer, once the trailer is backed down a ramp at least partially into the water the winch is actuated so as to provide some slack in the cable to permit the hook to be easily removed from the eyelet in the hull. The watercraft can then be pushed off the trailer.
Although the winch system properly secures the watercraft to the trailer, it requires that the driver of the watercraft get off the watercraft to secure the hook. Similarly, to release the watercraft the driver needs to be off the watercraft. Alternatively, the driver can be on the watercraft as long as another person is available to use the winch system. In either case it means that the driver or the other person, as the case may be, most likely needs to get in the water to secure and release the watercraft.
Furthermore, when the driver of the watercraft is the one securing the watercraft, there is a possibility that the watercraft could start drifting away from the trailer between the time the driver gets off the watercraft and the time the driver makes it to the winch system and is ready to secure the watercraft. A similar problem can occur when the driver of the watercraft releases the watercraft from the trailer.
Therefore, there is a need for a watercraft trailer having a device that can be used to secure a watercraft to a watercraft trailer and that does not require the driver or another person to move to the front of the trailer to manually connect the device to the watercraft in order to secure the watercraft to the trailer.
There is also a need for a watercraft trailer having a device that can be used to secure a watercraft to a watercraft trailer and that does not require the driver or another person to move to the front of the trailer to manually disconnect the device from the watercraft in order to release the watercraft from the trailer.